Tube clamp



April 13,1926. 1,580,649

- H. CHRISTIANSEN TUBE CLAMP Filed Sept. 4, 1925 Patented Apr. 13, 1926. v

UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE.

HANS cnnIsTIANsEN, on LYNN, MASSAGHUSETTS,ASSI G1\TOR mo'eEo. :r. KELLY, I'Nd, E LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORZEQRATION or MASSACHUSETTS.

TUBE CLAMP.

Application filed September- 4, 1925. Serial No. 54,453.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS OHRISTIANSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tube Clamps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention has relation to tube clamps, namely the manuall operated clamps which are used upon the exible tubing of laboratory apparatus, fountain syringes, and the like, to control the flow of fluid through such tubing.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a novel and improved tube clamp hav-' ing advantages in design and construction which make it cheap and easy to manufacture, simple and positive in action, capable of an infinite range of adjustment between the wide open and the fully closed relations of the passage through the hose, adapted to maintain any setting given to it, and adapted for one-hand manipulation.

' The device of my invention comprises, essentially, a tube clamp having a base portion, side members upon said base portion, a tongue combined with said base ortion and occupying a position between sa1d side members, parallel slots one formed in each side member and inclined toward said base portion, and a slider acting against the back of said tongue and also engaging in said slots and movable longitudinally therein and also of the tongue to press the latter toward the base portion and, compress a tube interposed between the tongue and base portion.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings,

' in which,

Fig. 1 is a side, elevation of one form of tube clamp, showing the device applied to a short section of tubing, the clamp being open and the tube uncompressed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View of the same parts in longileft hand side in Fig. 6.

of the parts related Having reference to the drawings Two practical embodiments of thefeatures' of the invention are shown in the drawings, one thereof being shown in Figs. 1 to 4, and the other in Figs. 5 to 8. In the case of each form of embodiment a base portion 1 has combined with it a side member 2 on each of its two longitudinal edges, the two side members preferably being formed integrally with the base member,

and the base portion also has a tongue 3 in operative relation therewith. Preferabl this tongue 3 is formed integrally with the base portion 1, being an extended strip and being bent upward and reversely so as to extend substantially parallel to the base portion, between the two side members 2, 2, and being normally spaced away therefrom by a distance corresponding approximately with the overall diameter of the tube 11 with which the clamp is to be used, (see Fig. 1), preferably a trifle less so that the clamp Will not slip along the tube of its own weight when released. v

In each of the two side members 2,2, I form aslot 8, which inclines downward at a gradual slope toward the end of the base portion 1 at which the free end of the tongue is located. These slots are occupied by lugs 9, 9, projecting transversely from a slider 10 whichis in operative contact with'the top surface of the tongue 3. The function of this slider 10 is to depress the tongue 3 to cause the latters extremity to flatten the tube 1] and reduce the cross-sec tional area of its passage, or close it ontirely. In the broader phases of the invention this slider may be of any suitable form, so long as it can be made to follow the slots 8 and depress the tongue, and so long as it is eapableof easy manipulation. In accordance with a more specific phase of the invention it is of the preferred form shown herein, comprising a single. piece of metal of a width a little less than the width of the space between the two side members 2, and having a raised portion or fingerhold formed by folding the metal twice to give it a triangular form when viewed from the side. This triangular shape presents sizeable flat faces to which pressure may be applied by the thumb to move the slider in either direction along the slots and tongue. The lugs 9, 9, project from the base or: the triangle defined by the material of the slider, through the slots 8, and their outer ortionsare upturned outside the side mem ers to prevent spreading of the side members and escape of the slider. The ends of' the v slider are suiiieiently close to the inner surfaces of the side members 2, 2, to prevent.

the slider from skewing around and jamming when being slid. As is obvious, the inclined slots serve as cam-paths for the slider. They serve to guide the slider down toward the base portion so as to cause it to depress the tongue, when the slider is moved manually along the slots toward the free end of the said tongue, the depression of the tongue and the consequent constriction of the passage of the hose or tube being proportional to the movement of the slider. In the reverse movement of the slider, the slots cause the slider to move away from the base portion so as to allow the tongue to more or less completely release the tube. Upward pressure of the tongue against the slider, caused by the spring of the tongue and the pressure of the tube and its contents against the tongue, serve to hold the slider firmly in any position along the slots into which it may be adjusted by the user. As the slider does not come into contact with the rubber or other material of the hose or tube, but slides upon the top surface of the tongue, while the slope of the slots 8 is long and gradual, the device works easily, and is conveniently manipulated with one hand.

The lower portions of the slots 8 are of less inclination than the upper portions, in order to lessen the liability to accidental return slipping movement of the slider and consequent relaxation of the pressure by which the tube is compressed.

In the case of the form of embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 a hole 4 is formed in the bend of the tongue, allowing the tube to be passed through so as to extend longitudiits extremity to form a ridge across it, and

a corresponding, downwardly extending, transverse rib 6 is formed at the end of the tongue to coact with the bending rib on the base portion, the two ribs, 5 and 6, cooperating to flatten the tube until its bore is closed, with the minimum of manual efiort in operating the clamp. The metal of the side members 2, 2, is cut out just above the rib 5 on the base portion, as shown at 7, Fig. 1, to accommodate the bending upward of the base portion without puckering of the material of the side members adjacent that point.

In the alternative form of embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 8, the construction and mode of operation of the device are the same in general as in the form described, save that this alternative form is adapted to stand at right angles to the axis of the tube, and certain modifications are made in its construction to adapt it to this manner of application. The hole 4 in the bend of the tongue 3 is omitted, and instead a hole 40 is formed in eachside member 2 at the end near the free end of tongue 3, of ovate shape at the bottom to allow for the flattening oi the tube 11 when the tongue is pressed down upon it through movement of the slider, just as described hereinbefore. To facili tate the flattening or closing of the passage through the tube. as above, bending ribs 50 and 60 are formed longitudinally of the base portion and the tongue, respectively, instead of transversely as at 5 and 6 in the case of the form previously described. A slight variation in the form alone of the slider is shown.

, What is claimed as my invention is,-

1. A. tube clamp comprising a base portion, side members upon said base portion, a tongue combined with said base portion and occupying a position between said side members, parallel slots one formed in each side member and inclined toward said base portion. and a slider acting against the back of said tongue and also engaging in said slots and movable longitudinally therein and of the tongue to press the tongue toward the base portion and compress a tube interposed between the tongue and base portion.

2. A tube clamp comprising a base pertion formed with upturned side flanges havthe said slider comprising a plate which ing inclined slots therein and with a tongue makes contact With the back of the tongue, 10 bent hacltwardly into place between said the said plate havingaportionthereof Which side flanges, and a slider having oppositely projects upward to constitute a finger-hold extending lugs projecting through the slots by means of Which the slider may be pushed in said side flanges, with their extremities back and forth relative to the slots and bent to prevent spreading of the side flanges tongue. 7

and escape of the lugs from the said slots, HANS OHRISTIANSEN. 

